Slippers
by AliasCWN
Summary: Sometimes the smallest of things can bring comfort as Tully and the others discover.


**Slippers**

By:AliasCWN

Tully awoke with a start, his hand automatically reaching for a weapon, and then he stopped. He wasn't out in the desert; he was in his own tent on the base. The likelihood that this was an enemy attack was slim. Slowly he relaxed, listening to the sounds around him. He could hear Hitch breathing softly in the next cot. In the next tent over the usual loud snores of one of its occupants continued undisturbed. Tully looked around, trying to figure out what had awakened him. The dim light coming through the tent cast everything in dark shadows. As far as he could tell there was nothing disturbed in the tent, except him.

He was definitely disturbed. For the third time in as many days he had jerked awake with the sense that something had touched him as he slept. He never saw anything when he looked around but the feeling that something was there wouldn't go away.

Throwing the covers to the side Tully got to his feet and padded barefoot to the door. The flaps were still tied; no one could have entered or left without taking the time to re-tie the strings. Shaking his head in confusion he turned to return to this cot.

"Is something wrong Tully?"

Tully looked at Hitch suspiciously. "How long have you been awake?"

"I just woke up." The blond answered. "Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing." Tully muttered. "Go back to sleep."

"Something wake you again?" Hitch guessed.

Tully looked at Hitch a little closer; Hitch looked like he had just woken up. "Yeah, but I still can't figure out what it is." Tully sighed. "I swear there is something there but I can't see anything when I look around."

"You'll figure it out."

Tully looked closely at his tent mate, Hitch looked sincere. Tully tried to ignore the suspicion that his fellow driver was playing a joke on him. "I guess we'd better get some sleep. Sarge wants to get an early start tomorrow." Tully stretched out on his cot and pulled the blankets up over his legs. The ends hung over the foot to the ground but he didn't bother to pull them up any further. The nights were cold and the tent wasn't overly warm but he wanted to be able to move freely if he felt something touch him again.

"Wake me if it happens again and we can do a search of the area." Hitch offered. "Maybe we can catch whoever is doing it."

"Whoever?" Tully's suspicions returned. "How do you know it's a person?"

"What else could it be?" Hitch asked in surprise. "You don't believe in ghosts or anything like that do you?"

Tully snorted at the very idea. "No, I don't believe in ghosts."

"So what do you think it is?"

"I don't know. If I knew that I could sleep at night." Tully sighed. "I can promise you this though; I'm going to find out."

Hitch nodded thoughtfully. "I believe you. If you need any help, I'm right here." Hitch pulled his blankets up around his shoulders. "Whatever it is, I hope it lets us get some sleep. Sarge doesn't like it when we show up tired."

Tully nodded his agreement.

"Goodnight Tully."

"Night Hitch." Tully closed his eyes but sleep didn't come. He listened as Hitch went back to sleep and the guy next door continued to snore. After a while his eyes began to droop despite his resolve to stay awake. He fought it, determined to solve the mystery that kept waking him from a sound sleep each night.

A small sound, barely a whisper, drew his attention. He strained his ears to hear it again. He was so focused on hearing the sound that he almost ignored the miniscule movement of his blankets. It was a small thing, just a tiny tug on the blankets at his feet. Tully caught his breath and held perfectly still as he waited to see what would happen next. Unlike the other times, he decided to stay quiet and pretend to be asleep.

He felt the tug again, harder this time. Tully felt the blankets shift and realized that it was probably that tug that had awakened him from his sleep. There was another tug and Tully was fairly certain that no one had managed to enter the tent since he had checked it last. Hitch was sleeping peacefully so that cleared him of any involvement.

There was another tug and the blankets nearly pulled off of one of Tully's legs. He lifted his head slowly, trying not to make any sudden moves that might alert his visitor.

Two small ears appeared above the bottom edge of his cot. Tully smiled to himself but remained still. Next a small head appeared with two big eyes that looked around cautiously. Finally the kitten pulled itself up onto the bed and surveyed its new perch. When it saw nothing to frighten it it began to sniff at the blankets. As Tully watched it padded up to the space between his legs and began to knead the blankets. Once it was satisfied it curled up into a small fluffy ball and rested its head on its tail. Tully drifted off to sleep with the soft rhythm of its satisfied purr rumbling in his ears.

"Hey Tully, you have a visitor." Hitch's voice scared the small cat and it jumped down from the bed and scampered out of the tent.

"You scared it." Tully growled.

"Sorry." Hitch watched as the tiny cat disappeared out the door. "It sure scared easy."

"Well sure." Tully drawled sleepily. "It's just a tiny little thing."

"So I guess we know what's been waking you up every night." Hitch smiled.

"Yeah." Tully mirrored the smile. "I guess we do. It must have been looking for somewhere warm to sleep."

"Maybe we could leave something for it to eat." Hitch suggested.

"I was thinking the same thing."

For the next week the two privates made sure that the small kitten had plenty to eat. When they were there the kitten slept with Tully. On the nights when they were out on patrol it slept in Tully's empty bed. Gradually the skittish cat tamed down, even taking food from their hands.

"Cats don't usually take food out of your hands." Tully explained one day as Hitch fed their little visitor.

"Why not?"

Tully shrugged. "I don't know, they just don't. They'll usually take it if you put it in front of them but most cats won't take it out of your fingers."

"I guess this one trusts us." Hitch grinned happily.

"I guess so."

"We should name it."

Tully smiled. "What would you like to call it?"

"I don't know. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl." Tully answered without hesitation.

"How can you tell?"

"I grew up on a farm, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Hitch hesitated. "I was thinking Shadow but that doesn't really fit a girl."

Tully shrugged. "Girls can be shadows too."

Hitch looked at the tiny cat on Tully's bed and smiled. "She sure was good at slipping in and out of here undetected." He took another look at her. "Hey Tully, she has four white feet. Why don't we call her Slippers?"

Tully looked at the kitten and nodded. "Yeah, I like that. It sort of fits her."

"Slippers it is then."

Slippers made herself right at home in the tent. Both privates enjoyed seeing her sleeping in the cot when they walked in. Tully was sleeping through the night again now that he knew what had been disturbing his sleep. Things fell into a comfortable routine that included Slippers.

"We're heading out to check on German troop movements." Troy informed the privates one morning at breakfast. "Headquarters thinks they are planning a new push that might affect us."

"How long are we going to be gone Sarge?" Tully asked.

"As long as it takes." Troy answered. "Why? Do you have other plans?"

Tully grinned. "No Sarge, I was just thinking about Slippers. I'll have to see if I can find someone to make sure she gets fed."

"Get it done then, we're pulling out right after breakfast." The sergeant growled.

Both privates hurried through their meals to go get ready. By the time the sergeants finished their meals and arrived at the jeeps both privates were there waiting.

"Are the jeeps ready?"

"All set to go Sarge." Hitch answered.

"What about the cat?"

"What about her?"

"Did you make arrangements for someone to feed it?"

Tully looked over and grinned. "All taken care of Sarge; you don't have to worry about Slippers."

"Who was worried?" Troy growled. "Let's shake it."

Both privates smiled as the jeeps rolled out. They passed through the gates and picked up speed as they skimmed across the desert floor. Four pairs of eyes scanned the endless sand for any movement. The skies were not ignored either as all four men knew the dangers the enemy planes presented.

The next four days found them encountering more and more enemy troops as they crisscrossed the area around the base. There was no longer any doubt that the Germans were up to something. The four man patrol observed and reported all of the activity that they encountered. Still headquarters wanted more and more information.

"What more do they want?" Moffitt asked after giving another report and being ordered to check another sector.

Troy shrugged as he studied the map. "The krauts must know we're out here by now. There is no way that they missed all of the tracks we left while we were hunting for them."

"No doubt we're being hunted too." The Brit agreed.

"We'll check out the next sector but I want to camp as far from the Germans as we can. We'll head northeast until we're at the edge of the sector and find a camp there. Tomorrow we'll check that sector and see if we can figure out just what game plan the Germans are using."

"Then what?"

Troy looked up and grinned. "Then we'll try to throw a monkey wrench into those plans."

Moffitt smiled. "I had the distinct feeling that you were going to say something to that effect."

Troy grinned and then sobered. "We'll have to be careful. This is the last sector we need to check and they may have figured that out too. I want everybody to stay alert for ambushes. We're too close to mess up now."

"Hey Sarge, company!"

Tully's call sent all of them back to the jeeps. The patrol he had spotted was following the tracks the jeeps had made earlier.

"Don't seem like there's much doubt." Tully drawled as he pulled out of the wadi.

"Doubt about what?" Moffitt asked.

"We're being hunted Doc."

Moffitt glanced behind them and nodded. "It certainly looks that way."

The two jeeps slipped away before they were spotted but the German patrol cars kept following their tracks. Tully and Hitch used all of their considerable driving skills to lose their pursuers. The rest of the day found them ducking even more patrols. That night in their camp they got a message from the base.

"The Germans have launched their attack." Troy informed the others after decoding the message. "The base was hit pretty hard but they managed to hold on and repel the attack."

"Do they still want us to check out that other sector?" Moffitt asked.

"No." Troy answered. "Our new orders are to return to base. We'll stay here tonight and head back in the morning." He looked over at his driver. "Hitch, you have last watch; make sure everyone is awake before daylight. If we're being hunted I don't want the krauts to get a jump on us."

"Right Sarge."

"Moffitt, I want to go over our route before we turn in."

"Understood Troy." Moffitt pulled the map case out of the jeep and spread the map they needed on the hood. "We should avoid using the same route we used today." He warned.

"Yeah." Troy agreed. "We'll do that."

The next morning they received another message from the base.

"Another attack?" Moffitt asked as Troy finished decoding the message.

"Not this time." Troy replied. "Captain Boggs just wanted to make sure that we knew that there are a lot of Germans between us and the base."

"We've been out here watching and reporting their movements for the last five days." The Brit smiled. "Does he think we've forgotten about them already?"

"Maybe he thinks we expected them to kill them all when they attacked the base." Tully suggested.

"Not hardly." Troy snorted. "At any rate, we still have to get through them to get back to the base."

"A patrol Sarge!" Hitch called to the others as he ran for the jeeps. "They're headed straight for us. I don't see how they can miss us." He added as he slid into his seat.

"Moffitt, lead out, you know the route." Troy waved the other jeep into the lead.

Tully's jeep burst out of the wadi and began their run for the base. The patrol spotted them but was soon left behind as the two jeeps barreled across the desert. That began a long day of dodging enemy patrols and columns.

"Every time we're spotted they radio ahead and tell the others where we are." Troy growled.

"It certainly seems that way." Moffitt agreed.

"They're trying to drive us into a trap."

"Entirely possible." The Brit agreed calmly.

Tully looked over at his calm tone and smiled. Troy looked agitated.

"I don't think we're going to go where they want us to go." Troy decided. "I think we should take the long way and try to cut through the hills and stay out of sight for a few hours. Running a gauntlet of German patrols doesn't appeal to me. Maybe we can slip through the net and get past them."

"We could get trapped in the hills." Moffitt warned.

"It's worth the risk." Troy argued. "If we can slip past the patrols we can avoid the ambushes I'm sure they have planned for us."

"It's worth a try." Moffitt finally agreed.

"Do you have a better idea?" Troy demanded.

"Afraid not old man." The Brit smiled. "It does present quite a sticky wicket doesn't it?"

"Yeah, and if we want to stay alive we have to outsmart those krauts." Troy growled. And with that he gave the order to head for the hills.

"I think we lost them." Tully declared several hours later. "We haven't seen a single patrol for over an hour."

"Don't get too cocky." Troy warned. "They'll figure out where we went sooner or later."

"Hopefully later." Hitch said just before he popped a bubble.

"Yeah." Troy agreed. "But we can't count on that."

"We still have to reach the base." Moffitt reminded them. "The Germans know that too. They may have set up some of their ambushes around the base in case we get that far."

"I've been thinking about that." Troy admitted. "Can you figure out which frequency the krauts are using?"

"You want me to report seeing us somewhere other than where we really are." The Brit guessed.

"Can you do it?"

"I don't know what passwords they may be using." Moffitt stated uneasily. "I may be able to find the frequency but without the code words I may not be able to convince them that I am really German."

"What if you call in the sighting and break off contact before they can ask any questions?"

"They would only call back and ask the questions anyway."

Troy frowned in thought. "What if the message ended with a gun battle? Maybe they'd believe that the patrol met us and lost the fight."

The British sergeant considered the suggestion carefully. "It might work Troy. At the very least they may draw some of the patrols away to check it out."

"Can you do it?" Troy asked again.

"I believe I can." Moffitt nodded. "When do you want to try it?"

"Not until we're closer to the base." Troy decided. "Why don't you try to isolate that frequency so we have it when we're ready?"

Moffitt nodded.

The attack was unexpected. They thought that they had slipped past the circle the Germans had tried to form around them. The hand grenade came flying down from above and landed next to the first jeep as they drove through a narrow wadi. Only Tully's quick reflexes saved them. He whipped the wheel around and took the jeep up the slope to avoid the explosion. Hitch hit the brakes and slid to a stop.

Troy vaulted over the seat and grabbed the handles of the 50. The first bullets tore into the back of the seat that the sergeant had just vacated. Bracing his feet, Troy opened fire on the soldiers who peered over the top edge of the slope.

Tully's jeep found some firm ground and Tully was able to climb to the top of the wadi.

Troy was still fighting the soldiers above him when he heard Moffitt open fire. Hitch spun his jeep through the gap in the dunes and out of the tight confines of the wadi. Once he had room to maneuver he turned to go back and help Moffitt and Tully.

Moffitt's gun chattered a few more times and then silence descended on the small piece of landscape that held the wadi.

Hitch drove around the top to find Moffitt kneeling next to a still seated Tully. German soldiers lay dead all around them. Two patrol cars were parked to one side. A frantic sounding voice shouting in German blasted from a radio in one of the cars.

"Hitch, take care of Tully." Moffitt ordered in a voice barely above a whisper. He held a finger to his lips as Troy opened his mouth to ask a question. Leaving Tully with Hitch, Moffitt ran to the patrol car and picked up the radio mic. Sounding frantic himself, the Brit shouted into the radio. A brief, shouted conversation ensued with Moffitt doing most of the talking.

Troy could pick out a few words being said but most of the conversation eluded his understanding. He glanced over to check on Tully and saw Hitch applying pressure to a wound in Tully's leg.

"Troy!" Moffitt whispered urgently.

Troy looked back at Moffitt just as the British sergeant upped the urgency in his tone. Troy heard the word 'American' just before Moffitt made a motion for him to fire his 50. Although confused, Troy didn't hesitate. He fired off a long burst into the air as Moffitt continued to shout.

Moffitt flicked off the radio and sagged against the patrol cars. Troy raised his eyebrows in silent query. Moffitt smiled. "You can talk now Troy. I just didn't want the radio to pick up any American voices."

Troy glanced over at the radio. "What just happened?"

"The lieutenant reported sighting us." Moffitt indicated a dead German officer lying next to the patrol car.

"Great! Now they know exactly where we are." Troy growled.

"Not exactly." Moffitt smiled as he went to help Hitch with Tully. "The lieutenant reported making contact but Tully and I killed him before he could tell them his location. The radio operator wanted our coordinates. I told him we were a few miles east of the Ala Bahim Oasis. I explained that the lieutenant had ordered us there to see if the Americans had gone there for water." Moffitt rose and flicked the radio on again. A rapid flow of German flowed from the speaker.

"What's that all about?"

"I told him that I was the only survivor. At the end I had you fire the 50 as I reported that the Americans had returned. I didn't want him asking questions or trying to contact me again. He is reporting that we wiped out this patrol and he is ordering all units to head for the oasis and cut off our escape. They are now looking for us fifteen miles north and eight miles east of our present location."

Troy grinned. "That should make it easier to get home." He watched as Moffitt worked on Tully. "How bad is it?"

"Not too bad." The Brit replied. "He caught a piece of shrapnel from that grenade. It's a good thing he has quick reflexes or things may have turned out quite differently."

Tully groaned and Moffitt concentrated on caring for his driver.

"Hitch, stand guard!"

"Right Sarge." The blond grabbed a rifle and went to stand where the Germans had concealed themselves to toss the grenade. It was the perfect look-out. He could see the desert all around and easily spot any patrols headed their way.

Troy waited impatiently as Moffitt worked on Tully's leg. The shrapnel wasn't deep but it had made a large jagged tear in the muscle of the private's thigh. Working carefully, Moffitt flushed the wound so that he could see the damage. Gripping the sharp piece of metal firmly he slowly worked it free of the flesh. Tully was sweating profusely by the time the shrapnel was out.

"I'll bandage that up and give you a shot of morphine for the pain."

"No thanks Doc." Tully shook his head at the offer. "You may need me to drive so that you can use the 50. The pain isn't that bad now, just slap a bandage on it."

"Are you quite certain?"

"Yeah, it'll be all right. The base is only another couple of hours. I can hold out that long."

"If you're absolutely certain." The sergeant answered with a frown.

"No guarantees Doc, but I'm pretty sure. We'd better get moving before they realize they've been fooled." Tully grimaced as he slid his leg back into the jeep.

"I don't think that we should be in too much of a rush to move." Moffitt responded. He looked up at Troy and smiled. "Judging by the calls on the radio I think that there are more units close by. I suggest that we stay here until they have time to clear the area."

Troy looked up at his driver. "Hitch, stay down. Moffitt thinks there are more patrols in the area."

Hitch nodded and dropped to his stomach. Ten minutes later he reported a patrol headed northeast and traveling fast. A few minutes after that he reported a second patrol in the distance headed in the same direction. After half an hour Troy was ready to continue when yet a third set of patrol cars raced past their position headed northeast.

"It might be wise to proceed with caution." Moffitt smiled at Troy's expression.

They had to avoid one more patrol before they reached the base but for the most part they had the desert to themselves. The Germans had pulled back after their failed attempt to take the base. Tully drove without complaint but they all noted the pain lines around his eyes. Their first stop was the hospital to drop him off.

Hitch was standing outside of the hospital tent when Troy and Moffitt arrived after giving the captain their reports.

"Any news?"

"Not yet Sarge." Hitch answered.

"They probably had to clean out the wound before they could stitch it closed." Moffitt assured them. "It shouldn't be much longer."

"We were lucky to get him here so quick." Troy added.

"As you always say Troy, we make our own luck." Moffitt smiled.

"How so Doctor?"

"I was willing to try your idea with the radio message, but I have to admit, I was a bit concerned that it wouldn't be convincing without the code words."

"Well it seems like it worked." Troy smiled.

"My point exactly." Moffitt responded. "That lieutenant had already made the call and given the code words. When I came on the line they didn't ask for them because they knew the lieutenant had already given them. All I had to do was give them the message you wanted delivered."

"And the shots from the 50 when you turned off the radio kept them from asking any more questions." Troy added.

"Yes, that part went exactly as planned." The other sergeant smiled. "It convinced them that the patrol could not give them any more information and it convinced them that we were still at the location that they had been given. They moved their forces accordingly."

"Sergeant Troy?"

"That's me." Troy turned toward the doctor who had just walked out of the hospital tent.

"Your man is out of surgery and sleeping. You can see him now but please try not to wake him." The doctor led the way to where Tully tossed restlessly on a cot.

"He doesn't seem to be sleeping very well." Moffitt noted.

The doctor sighed tiredly and nodded. "There is some pain and he should be given something to help him sleep but we're critically short on medicine. This German push has depleted our supplies until we don't have enough for all of our needs. I'm afraid we don't have anything to give him but aspirin. The few supplies we do have must be saved for the more critically wounded." The doctor gave the three men a look that begged understanding. "The nurses will do all they can but they are overworked at present too."

"I have an idea." Hitch looked at the doctor earnestly. "He has a little ball of fur that he sleeps with. Maybe if I brought Slippers here he would sleep a little better."

Just then Tully moaned and tried to roll in his sleep.

"All right Private, it's worth a try."

Hitch hurried from the tent, leaving Troy and Moffitt to stay with Tully. When he returned he had the kitten tucked inside the front of his coat. Being careful not to squeeze her, he pulled her out and set her next to Tully's hand on top of the blankets. The small kitten began to purr as she sniffed his fingers. Kneading the blankets, she made a bed for herself and curled up into a ball. Her soft rattling purr continued until she fell asleep.

"What's that cat doing in my hospital?"

The doctor's harsh tone surprised Hitch.

"That's Slippers. You said I could bring her here to help Tully sleep."

"That's the ball of fur you meant? I thought you were talking about some kind of stuffed toy."

"Tully's too old to sleep with a stuffed toy." Hitch frowned.

"I thought so too." The doctor admitted. "But I've seen stranger things since I've been here. I'm sorry Private, but the cat can't stay."

"But Tully's sleeping easier already." Hitch protested.

The doctor paused to look at his patient. Tully's fingers had curled into the cat's long fur and he had a small smile on his lips. His restless movements had stopped and he was sleeping peacefully. The doctor looked at the fingers curled into the fur and sighed. "I guess it can't be any dirtier than all of the sand that keeps blowing in here. The cat can stay." He relented. "But only until morning. I want it out of here before my other patients wake up." The doctor tried to hide his own smile when the three men broke out in grins. "I mean it. I want it out of here first thing in the morning. The last thing I need is for the other patients to see it and want one of their own."

"We'll take care of it." Troy promised.

"That's something they never covered in medical school." The doctor muttered as he turned away. "Now if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have a lot of other patients to look in on."

"What took you so long to get back here?" Troy asked after the doctor left. "Couldn't you find the cat?"

"I didn't have any trouble finding her." Hitch answered. "I had to make sure she was fed before I brought her. She sleeps better on a full stomach."

"A full stomach huh?" Troy grinned at Moffitt. "Then it looks like you have litter box duty. You fed her, you clean up after her."

"Aw Sarge!"

"We'll be back in a few hours to take over. Make sure she doesn't cause any trouble in the meantime."

"Okay Sarge." Hitch pulled out a paperback that he had taken from the jeep. Sitting down next to Tully, he began to read. Since Tully was sleeping peacefully with Slippers, Hitch read quietly to himself so he wouldn't wake any of the other soldiers, but he kept a close eye on the kitten.


End file.
